Tonight’s ‘Louie’ Episode Originally Included a Part for Philip Seymour Hoffman

Sad news for fans of Philip Seymour Hoffman and the all-star cameos on Louie this season: The recently deceased actor was originally slated to appear in tonight’s two-part flashback episode “In the Woods.” Here’s what Jeremy Renner — who shows up in the episode — told Yahoo last month:

I just did a little bit on Louie that’s coming out next month. That was fun, and he’s a good dude. I was happy to do that, but it was like: in and out. I could go in for three days and have some fun and move on … Phil [Seymour] Hoffman was supposed to be in it, too. It’s about young Louie, so he isn’t even acting in it — he’s just directing it. Yeah, then Phil unfortunately passed, but I guess they were able to pull the episode together.

Hoffman and C.K. were reportedly friends, and C.K. attended Hoffman’s funeral back in February alongside Louie season 4 regular Ellen Burstyn. C.K. had also filmed a guest spot on the Hoffman-starring pilot Happyish, though it’s still unknown whether or not Showtime will redevelop the series in the wake of the actor’s passing.